Recent content by columnshift

I was mechanically inclined for years then I had a brain tumor and surgery and some things I used to be able to do became more difficult after they cut on my brain, sometimes i'm literally holding the tool and then realizing I dont know how to do this anymore/the procedural memory for some...

Well I guess thats what I was wondering... is there a scam that can go THROUGH ebay, I mean real actual authentic ebay, involving a local seller and buyer, that somehow still screws you? My strategy was going to be pretty simple - if theyre local i'm driving it straight to a mechanic shop I...

So since i'm back into the "zero properly working vehicles" status right now i'm having to consider whether to throw more money at repairing something I thought would last a bit longer vs replacing it. Replacing it is the demon you dont know replacing what you have though. I've already lost...

So it's not unheard of it's a known failure mode... Is having a low mileage original rebuilt by a local shop going to cost any less, or be any better than ordering some mail order trans rebuilder th700? Is rebuilding a stock transmission going to be better for longevity than buying something...

Well I didnt want someone else to grab it out from under me if true. :^) I mean have people sold cars for well below market just because of family trauma - yes, and i've been one of them. "Just want it out of here". But also 'it might be true' stories are the norm for scam artists. I guess I...

He had said he aligned the front driveway mechanic style. I know this is a thing so I trusted it, like I remember reading how tos that you couldn't do a four wheel alignment and your steering wheel might be off without a friend to help things. (EDIT actually reading up a bit I see someone...

So i'm looking for a working car. Girlfriend perused facebook marketplace and we found something that sounds great, price WAY too low. We think it's a scam. We write them, they verify stuff, and say their husband died and it brings bad memories and they just want it gone ASAP but they want to...

Alright so i'm a little demoralized with car problems at the moment... I have a 1991 chevy caprice with about 232k or something and i'm struggling to figure out my next steps. I used to have a garage I took it to in the fargo/moorhead MN area but they started a policy of no longer working on...

Responding now because i've been too heartbroken to deal with anything so I just parked it the last month and drove my other car. (which is ALSO now not working and now i'm REALLY heartbroken and in trouble as a moneyless college student :( ) Searching the link showed things stuck in 1st gear...

My topic changed so i'm reposting now that I added fluid to the cold level (needed 1 quart to read in the range) and it didn't change anything. I properly test drove the pickup (since I wasnt going to do it before adding fluid).. it goes 1st to 2nd beautifully, then when it tries to shift into...

Well left unsaid is the fluid had to go somewhere... so i'm assuming there's a slow pan leak i'm not quite catching, possibly one more apparent while driving than while standing still cuz I don't remember seeing puddles of trans fluid tho I think there was signs of drips the last time I was...

So i have a 1991 chevy k1500 4x4 with 350chev and 4 speed which would be the th700-r4, 60k miles. (yes 60k, not 160, yes original, yes really) I admit not checking as often as i should being... the vehicle hasnt seen much use despite age. And was mostly letting my girlfriend drive it and just...

1991 chevy caprice 305 tbi The dash warning light for 'brake' suddenly came on about a week ago, and since I don't have a manual handy i'm not sure which different things this can mean... I had it turn on in the past which turned out to just be to let me know the bulb was out for the rear brake...

I think i've had a loss of brake assist from the vaccum booster on my 1991 chevy caprice classic. (about 222k miles) I suddenly got a rock hard pedal for a few seconds the other day, which passed, then it drove fine so I just drove ultra-carefully pre-testing the brakes and leaving alot of room...

Okay! I've had TWO other 'starting attempt failures' since I posted this in the last three days and i'm assuming its probably physically the starter. In both cases I turn the key, I hear a soft click, and then a motor spinning up... WHIIIRRRR.... getting faster as I hold the key in. The engine...